A mob beat to death a police constable in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district on Saturday, NDTV reported. Head constable Abdul Gani, 48, had gone to examine a land dispute at Hamela ki Ber village when a mob attacked him after an argument over encroachment. The policeman was seriously injured in the attack and died of his injuries at a community health centre.

“While talking to the parties involved in encroachments on the land, there was a dispute and Gani was attacked by the unidentified persons,” Bhim police station house officer Labhuram Vishnoi said, according to the Hindustan Times. “The attackers fled and some passers-by called a 108 ambulance in which the policeman was taken to a community health centre, where he succumbed to injuries.”

However, Udaipur Range Inspector General Binita Thakur said it was not a case of mob lynching. “The incident did not take place in the village but when the cop had reached the main road, he was attacked,” Thakur said. “It appears that 3 or 4 people attacked him.”

Rajsamand Superintendent of Police Bhuvan Bhushan said that Gani was returning from the village on his motorcycle when he was attacked by unidentified people. Bhushan said Gani’s autopsy will be conducted on Sunday, and that the police are trying to identify the people involved in the attack.